You Should Dip Your Toes into Obscure Literature
3 Reasons Why
It is a truth more or less universally acknowledged that books are meant to be read. However, today and across history, it seems equally true that only some books gain popularity and become widely read, while others don’t. This can be for a variety of reasons, ranging from marketing to snobbery. As a result, many interesting works of literature remain largely unknown and unstudied. In this blog post, I’ll be briefly discussing why you, as a student, writer, or general reader, should pick up those unknown, forgotten, and unpopular works of literature, if you were to find them, instead of the lastest bestseller.
Obscure (adjective): shrouded in or hidden by darkness […] relatively unknown […] not prominent or famous (Merriam-Webster)
The hidden, unknown, and unpopular all fall under what we may label as “obscure literature.” Of course, the issue of a particular literary work being obscure is relative, depending on who and where you are in the world. Then there are language barriers and lack of available translations on the market. Books that have been forgotten, censored, and buried over the course of history. As one might expect, there are several factors at play as to why a particular literary work exists without our knowledge.
Now, I would suggest that we embrace the unsung, the outlaws of the canonical (“the-agreed-upon-classics”), with what we got and to the best of our abilities. For the following three reasons:
#1 To Get a Fresh Perspective
One of the great things about reading any piece of literature (fictional or otherwise) is that it allows you to step into someone else’s shoes and see the world from a different point of view. When you read unknown and non-canonical works of literature, this is especially true. Since these works are not as well-known as others, they may offer a fresh, unconventional take on various topics. After all, they might have fallen into oblivion for a reason (valid or invalid). For example, you may come across a lesser-known work of historical fiction that offers a new take on a particular moment in history. Or you may find a poem from another period or literary tradition that makes you look at a particular phenomenon in a completely new way — or not. By reading and studying lesser-known works of literature, you can gain new insights into the potential of human imagination and might just get a fresh, expanded perspective on issues and phenomena around you.
#2 To Challenge Your Assumptions
In addition to offering a fresh perspective, reading unknown or unpopular works of literature can also challenge your assumptions. Even as enthusiastic readers, we all have certain assumptions about the world around us, and these assumptions can often shape our worldviews (for better or worse). By reading and studying the more obscure side of literature from around the world, we can have our assumptions challenged and expectations crushed in the most empathic and creative ways that both fictional and non-fictional stories invite us to do. A suggestion would be to intentionally pick a book from a tradition or culture that you know nothing or little about, or think that you know enough about, and see what that does for you. Be open to be both challenged and triggered — for it’s in that liminal space of being “uncomfortable” that meaningful learning usually takes place. Hopefully, this can lead to us becoming more open-minded, curious, and understanding readers, and people.
#3 To Expand Your Literary Horizons
Finally, another great reason to read and study obscure works of literature is that it allows you to expand your literary horizons, whether you are a student, writer, or general reader of literature. If you only ever read bestselling and academically agreed-upon works of literature (i.e., the ones that you may find on your Liberal Arts’ reading list), you are likely to miss out on a large body of literature that could have enriched you both intellectually and creatively. By also reading and studying unknown and non-canonical work, you can explore different (sub-)genres, styles, and demographics that otherwise wouldn’t have been brought to your attention. This will not only make reading more interesting and varied for you, but also help both broaden and deepen your cultural and literary horizons, from which you can take inspiration in your own endeavors (whatever they may be).
OK, so where can one find these obscure books?
I would say that Google (or whatever search engine you use) is your friend. Most unknown and non-canonical literary works that I’ve read and researched, I found by searching, and searching some more, on Google. Wikipedia categories can be really helpful too (e.g., lists of writers by nationality and English-language literature by country). On Goodreads, you find an abundance of lists (e.g., I typed in “obscure” in the search bar, and these popped up). You can also go the more traditional and explorative route of roaming in libraries and local bookstores (especially, the second-hand ones). Look at it as a field trip.
As you probably can sense, these are just three very brief points on the many potential benefits of digging up and embracing the unknown, forgotten, and unpopular works of literature from around the world. So why not give it a try? Pick up a book that you know nothing about at your local bookstore, or search for fiction from other parts of the world and/or other periods that you are unfamiliar with, and see where it takes you! Who knows — you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised by what you discover and gain in return. Remember, not finding anything of value to you, also counts. At least now, you know. Keep goin’.
Let me know how your most recent experience of reading an “obscure” book was. Pleasant? disappointing? eye-opening? I’m curious.
